Tuesday, August 13, 2013

AUTOS: Thee Ultimate Art Car?

My-Oh-My! Mr. Mariner Dave Niehaus, where does the time go?
As I simply cannot believe that this story has been percolating; Err fermentin’
for some two years now; YIKES!

As perhaps Y’all heard ‘Wayback in the summer ‘O
Twenty-eleven’s British Grand Prix that Force India would be auctioning off a
very special one-of-one VJM-01 Formula 1 chassis for charity, as I have NO idea
what the Art Car fetched?

Although the concept of Art Cars really isn’t new, as case
in point, not only did celebrated motorsports artist Randy Owens paint a Lola
IndyCar a zillion years ago, but I’ve got the corresponding 1:43 Diecast buried
inside a box somewherez at Tomaso Manor. As the Diecast once made up part of an
eclectic fleet of miniature racing cars upon my work desk: the Lola Art Car sat
proudly alongside a “Super Mario, DirtMann and King Hiro” trio of Indy Cars...

As I suppose I knew I-T all those years ago, but now find it
karmic that I’ve actually conversed and had my picture taken with the chauffer
of the real Lola T93/00 Ford IndyCar driven by Buddy Lazier for Leader Cards
during the ’94 season a year ago at Mother Speedway!

While obviously the most famous Art Cars are those
ubiquitous Andy Warhol BMW “Beemers” from a long, long, time ago, who
unfortunately their 15-minutes ‘O Fame has long since passed... Although I do
know that I posted another story some time ago about the latest incarnation of
said BMW Art Cars getting ready to race at le Circuit de la Sarthe...